Click on the box you see that says “Hawaii and Pacific Islands King Tides Project”:

Click “Join this Dataset” (upper right hand blue box)

STEP 2: DOWNLOAD THE APP

Go to App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android)

The name of the app for iPhone is “liquid mobile data collection” for Android “Liquid Field Notes”. Both versions are free

Once you download and open the app, it will take you to a login page

Use the login you just created for the Liquid website

STEP 3: ENTER DATA

Select “new record”

Press the arrow icon to access latitude and longitude from your smartphone’s GPS

Take a photo using the camera icon on the data entry form

Fill in all required data

Press “Submit”

No smartphone? No problem! You can easily take photos using a digital camera and upload them to the dataset from your computer. After you set up your Liquid account and join the “Hawaii and Pacific Islands King Tides Project” dataset (see Step 1), select the option “add record.” You can then use the camera icon to upload each photo from your computer, fill in all required data, and press “submit”

Shoreline Safety

The shoreline is a dynamic environment. Always reduce risk to yourself and others when capturing high water photos. Be aware of your surroundings (e.g., wind, waves, edges, steps) and observe your location and routes before heading out. Avoid locations that require climbing on rocks, walls, or other structures. Ensure you access sites via public access points. Use extra caution during Winter King Tides which may be in thearly morning hours. Dress appropriately (you may get wet!), but most of all, have fun! THANK YOU for your contributions!

For more detailed instructions view the linked PDF here or our video tutorial to learn.

Your records help support our collective
place-based comprehension of coastal hazards and
recurring, and more severe, impacts with sea-level rise.

View more tha 2,400 photo records submitted to the project by Citizen Scientists on the web map viewer, here.

First-person experiences that are place-based and familiar reinforce that climate changes impacts are local in nature and not a distant phenomenon. Hawai'i Sea Grant recruits and trains Citizen Scientists across the Pacific region to document high tide and sea level events and enhance community capacity to prevent, withstand, adapt to, and recover from coastal hazards.

Projections provided by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and key messages for Hawai‘i and Pacific islands from the National Climate Assessment indicate sea-level rise will bring about more frequent and extreme tidal flooding and inundation by tidally influenced coastal groundwater. Hawai'i Sea Grant is engaging citizen scientists to document today's high water level events, i.e., King Tides, to better understand tomorrow's impacts from sea-level rise and other coastal high water events. These photographic data are entered into a free and publically available data set and are informing research, policy, and decision making across the state and Pacific region.

Almost 200 Citizen Scientists have contributed 2,400 photo records to a publically accessible online database. These data serve as a critical resource for researchers, policy makers, and community members to better understand the potential impacts of sea-level rise and other coastal hazards. These can be viewed at the public dataset and on the web map below!

We know that sea level is rising in Hawai'i. We are particularly interested in documenting those higher tidal and sea level events as representation of what our shores may look like on a more regular basis.

What and Why

Hawaiʻi-specific projections are in line with global projections of sea level rise (SLR) with a mean height of 3 feet by 2100 (1). In addition, the existing problems of chronic erosion in Hawaiʻi, which causes beach loss, damages homes and infrastructure, and endangers critical habitat, will likely worsen with SLR.

A key message for Hawai‘i and Pacific islands from the National Climate Assessment, with respect to SLR is, “Rising sea levels, coupled with high water levels caused by tropical and extra-tropical storms, will incrementally increase coastal flooding and erosion, damaging coastal ecosystems, infrastructure, and agriculture, and negatively affecting tourism.” Additionally, low-lying islands and atolls will be particularly vulnerable due to their “small land mass, geographic isolation, limited potable water sources, and limited agricultural resources. [SLR] will increase saltwater intrusion from the ocean during storms.”

Hawai‘i Sea Grant is the Hawai‘i and U.S.-affiliated Pacific Islands project lead as part of the International King Tides Project - Snap the Shore, See the Future. Explore this interactive StoryMap featuring King Tides projects from around the world. Click here to check it out!

Other sea surface anomolies or bulges can track across the ocean affecting water levels. These ranges in sea surface can translate into water lapping at your feet at the beach; nuisance flooding affecting businesses, homes, and coastal infrastructure such as roads or storm drains; large erosion events and loss of property; and ultimately, due to SLR and groundwater penetration, permanent inundation.